een long enough to
develop scurvy among us; and at the suggestion of Doctor Chichester, I
have decided, in council, that before making our attempt against the
Spaniards I will put in and give you all a fortnight ashore, both to
regain your health and also to careen the ship and remove the weed which
you have only to look overside to see. Judging from sight alone, no
better harbourage could we find than that which we have just passed.
But, men, our pilot tells me that the place--which is named Barbados--is
much frequented by the Spaniards, if indeed they have not already taken
possession of it; and we should find ourselves in sorry plight if, while
the ship is hove down, two or three Spanish sail were to appear and
attack us. Doubtless we should beat them off; but we've not come all
this way to fight just for fighting's sake. I fight when and where I
choose, and to please myself, not the enemy. Therefore, instead of
touching at Barbados, where we are liable to attack, we are going two
days' sail farther on, to an island twenty times as big as Barbados,
twenty times as beautiful, and quite safe, because, beautiful as the
island is, the Spaniards have not yet found time to settle upon it. Mr
Dyer, here, knows the place, and he'll tell you all about it." And he
stood aside, giving place to the pilot.

"Shipmates," said Dyer, turning to the crowd of eager-eyed men clustered
thickly about the deck below him, "you do all look most terrible
disapp'inted because we'm leavin' thicky island astern, instead of goin'
in and anchorin' before mun. But though he do look so good and enticin'
he baint quite so good as he do look. For all about here--and this here
island o' Barbados in partic'lar--I've heard tell be subject to the most
dreadful hurricanes that it's possible for mortal man to imagine, and we
don't want to go in there and have our ship hove half a mile up into the
woods by a storm-wave so that she won't be no more use to us. Besides
that, as our cap'n have said, the place is used, off and on, by the
Spaniards, and we don't want 'em to come lookin' for us until we be
ready to meet 'em. So we'm going on a matter o' two days' sail to the
most beautiful island in these here parts, called Trinidad, after the
impious fashion o' the Spaniards, where I knows of a fine, snug little
cove where the ship'll be so safe as ever she was to Millbay, and where
we needn't fear either hurricanes or Spaniards. There we can take our